Editorial: Playing to Purdue's strengths

As Gov. Mitch Daniels makes his rounds, getting to know faculty, students and staff before he takes over at Purdue University's next president, he's talked about campus playing to its strengths.

A bold new plan announced this week by the College of Engineering certainly does that.

Over the next five years, Purdue's engineering programs plan to hire more than 100 new professors to its roster of 358 now and bump up undergraduate enrollment by 10 percent.

According the Purdue, the additional investment in engineering could be worth up to $200 million.

That's what we like to hear.

"Announcing to hire 100 new faculty at any institution will make a lot of people take notice," Robert Green, president-elect of National Society of Professional Engineers, told the J&C's Eric Weddle this week.

Purdue's engineering program is no slouch now, of course. Applications are outpacing the slots open for students - which is a driver in this plan, Purdue officials say.

But imagine the payoff of a degree from Purdue once it ramps up efforts to recruit top names in research and in teaching.

And imagine the spinoff benefits to Greater Lafayette with more, well-paying jobs and additional faculty on campus doing the sort of research that could lead to business opportunities down the line.

Keep aiming high in engineering, Purdue.

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Editorial: Playing to Purdue's strengths

As Gov. Mitch Daniels makes his rounds, getting to know faculty, students and staff before he takes over at Purdue University's next president, he's talked about campus playing to its strengths.